On board the Rocky Mountaineer enjoying the Rockies to the Red Rocks route. Photo / Rocky Mountaineer Travel 4 July 2023 NZH 04Jul23 - Onboard Rocky Mountaineer. Photo / Supplied
From the Andean highlands to the Scottish moors, luxury trains are redefining slow travel, writes Anthony Lambert.
Is there a more relaxing and engaging way of travelling through a country than by train? In a few hours you experience hundreds of vignettes of life outside the window that spark curious daydreams and nostalgic reflections. Dozens of trains across the world have been created to facilitate such pleasures, besides the obvious cinematic enjoyment of the passing landscape.
Ever since George Pullman gave his surname to opulent railway carriages in the 1860s, and Georges Nagelmackers created a byword for adventurous and luxurious travel with the Orient Express in 1883, people have been attracted to the idea of discovering places from the comfort of special trains. South Africa raised the bar in the 1930s with air-conditioned carriages for the prestigious Blue Train between Cape Town and Johannesburg, and many recent trains are of five-star standard.
The growth of stylish train travel has been exponential over the last century, with offers ranging from the day excursions of Switzerland’s Glacier Express and New Zealand’s TranzAlpine to sumptuous hotels on wheels such as South Africa’s Rovos Rail and Japan’s Twilight Express Mizukaze.
Considering the benefits of luxury rail, the boom in popularity is hardly a surprise. Slower (and far less stressful) than flying yet faster (and less tedious) than driving, it takes the intrinsic appeal of train travel and adds gourmet food with proper napery, silver and glass, convivial lounge and bar cars, cosy en suite cabins and the delight of an ever-changing landscape playing through every window.
If you are nostalgic for the décor and decadence of the 1920s, nothing comes close to Belmond’s Orient Express on its traditional run between Paris and Venice, amongst other itineraries. The marquetry and Lalique glass of the authentic period coaches have been exquisitely restored, and most guests reflect the ambience by dressing up for dinner. But be warned, you must pad down the corridor at night for a pee; an authentic experience of inter-war travel which means there is only a washbasin in the compartment.
Belmond’s more recent trains enjoy the ensuite shower room and air conditioning that nearly all trains offer, and its Andean Explorer even has a spa car. Linking the former Inca capital of Cusco with the World Heritage Site of Arequipa, the train traverses some of the most dramatic and austere landscapes of the altiplano. Off-train excursions punctuate the three days, taking guests to an Inca archaeological site and on a boat ride to islands in Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.
Unless you want to hike, train is the best way to reach the unforgettable Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, precariously perched on a ridge high above the Urubamba River. Belmond’s Hiram Bingham and the trains of Inca Rail offer carriages with windows in the roof to maximise views of the surrounding peaks.
For Belmond’s train through Malaysia, the Eastern & Oriental Express, the designer was asked to base the train interiors on the 1932 film, Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich. The longest of the various itineraries begins with a night at Singapore’s legendary Raffles Hotel, and its tours provide insights into the creation of batik fabrics and the efforts to safeguard the future of the critically endangered Malayan tiger in Taman Negara National Park.
Tigers feature in some of the numerous excursions offered by India’s half-dozen hotel trains. The Maharajas’ Express and the Deccan Odyssey visit Ranthambore National Park which covers 392sq km and is the best-known of India’s 58 protected tiger reserves. Other destinations include abandoned cities, hilltop forts, the Taj Mahal and the extraordinary City Palace at Jaipur with its huge 18th-century astronomical structures that form a World Heritage Site. There is even the chance to play chukkas of polo from the back of an elephant. The Golden Chariot leaves from Bangalore and ventures through Karnataka to explore Mysore’s royal heritage, Goa and the evocative ruins at Hampi.
Some trains relieve visitors of tedium or even danger: Australia’s Ghan traverses 2979km through some of the planet’s harshest terrain in the Red Centre between Adelaide and Darwin. Driving it would be an endurance test, and the off-train excursions during the three or four days leave you in no doubt how brutal a place it would be if you became stranded.
Japan’s six luxury tourist trains have taken design styles to another level with quirky window shapes and the front end of the Twilight Express Mizukaze resembling a samurai helmet. This train through western Japan also takes amenities to another level, with one car having a single suite large enough for a bathtub and a private balcony. Train Suite Shiki-Shima travels through eastern Japan to visit such cultural sites as religious shrines, relaxing onsen, the shops of skilled artisans and local fish markets.
Rails through the highlands of Scotland offer some of the world’s finest landscapes, and there is no better way to appreciate them than the pampered luxury of the Royal Scotsman, which starts its various itineraries in Edinburgh. Some of the tours are themed, aimed at golfers, gardeners or whisky aficionados, though there are always alternative excursions.
Among non-hotel trains, Rocky Mountaineer’s three Canadian routes have become the way to experience the Rockies. Its bi-level carriages have panoramic windows, and Gold Class passengers enjoy freshly cooked lunches from local ingredients. The multi-day tours use hotels overnight so that you don’t miss any of the spectacular sights.
The latest kids on the block are Britannic Explorer (Belmond) and La Dolce Vita Orient Express (Accor and Arsenale) in Italy. After technical problems caused two cancellations, the Britannic Explorer has settled into its three- or six-night trips from London Victoria to Cornwall, Wales and the Lake District, with such off-train options as clay-pigeon shooting, distillery visits or taking a sauna at a Welsh lavender farm.
Confidence in the future of all-inclusive luxury train travel is reflected in the six trains operating or under construction for Accor and Arsenale. Embodying the spirit and culture of 1960s Italy, their La Dolce Vita was launched in April and offers eight itineraries, most starting at private reception rooms in Rome Ostiense station. In common with most luxury trains, deep pockets are needed – there won’t be much change from $6000 per day per person.
Other countries with no history of tourist train travel are also jumping on the bandwagon; Arsenale has also signed agreements to develop luxury trains for Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Uzbekistan. The future for railway adventures looks bright.